Diffusion tensor tractography of the temporal stem on the inferior limiting sulcus

2008 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Xing-Gang Li ◽  
Na-Jia Liu
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Anterior Commissure ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Tractography ◽  
Optic Radiation ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Temporal Horn ◽  
Temporal Stem

Object The aim of this study was to use diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) to define the 3D relationships of the uncinate fasciculus, anterior commissure, inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus, inferior thalamic peduncle, and optic radiation and to determine the positioning landmarks of these white matter tracts. Methods The anatomy was studied in 10 adult human brain specimens. Brain DTT was performed in 10 healthy volunteers. Diffusion tensor tractography images of the white matter tracts in the temporal stem were obtained using the simple single region of interest (ROI) and multi-ROIs based on the anatomical knowledge. Results The posteroinferior insular point is the anterior extremity of intersection of the Heschl gyrus and the inferior limiting sulcus. On the inferior limiting sulcus, this point is the posterior limit of the optic radiation, and the temporal stem begins at the limen insulae and ends at the posteroinferior insular point. The distance from the limen insulae to the tip of the temporal horn is just one third the length of the temporal stem. The uncinate fasciculus comprises the core of the anterior temporal stem, behind which the anterior commissure and the inferior thalamic peduncle are located, and they occupy the anterior third of the temporal stem. The inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus passes through the entire temporal stem. The most anterior extent of the Meyer loop is located between the anterior tip of the temporal horn and the limen insulae. Most of the optic radiation crosses the postmedian two thirds of the temporal stem. Conclusions On the inferior limiting sulcus, the posteroinferior insular point is a reliable landmark of the posterior limit of the optic radiations. The limen insulae, anterior tip of the temporal horn, and posteroinferior insular point may be used to localize the white matter fibers of the temporal stem in analyzing magnetic resonance imaging or during surgery.

scholarly journals Multiple sclerosis and depressive manifestations: can diffusion tensor MR imaging help in the detection of microstructural white matter changes?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Talaat A. Hassan ◽  
Shaima Fattouh Elkholy ◽  
Bahaa Eldin Mahmoud ◽  
Mona ElSherbiny
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Limbic System ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis is one of the commonest causes of neurological disability in middle-aged and young adults. Depression in MS patients can compromise cognitive functions, lead to suicide attempts, impair relationships and reduce compliance with disease-modifying treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the microstructural changes in the white matter tracts of the limbic system in MS patients with and those without depressive manifestations using a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique. Methods This study included 40 patients who were divided into three groups. Group 1 comprised of 20 patients with relapsing-remitting MS with depressive symptoms and group 2 comprised 10 MS patients without symptoms of depression. The third group is a control group that included 10 age-matched healthy individuals. All patients underwent conventional MRI examinations and DTI to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the white matter tracts of the limbic system. Results We compared the DTI findings in MS patients with and those without depressive symptoms. It was found that patients with depression and MS exhibited a significant reduction in the FA values of the cingulum (P < 0.0111 on the right and P < 0.0142 on the left), uncinate fasciculus (P < 0.0001 on the right and P < 0.0076 on the left) and the fornix (P < 0.0001 on both sides). No significant difference was found between the FA values of the anterior thalamic radiations in both groups. Conclusion Patients with depression and MS showed more pronounced microstructural damage in the major white matter connections of the limbic pathway, namely, the uncinate fasciculus, cingulum and fornix. These changes can be detected by DTI as decreased FA values in depressed MS patients compared to those in non-depressed patients.

scholarly journals Structural disconnectivity in schizophrenia: a diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study

2003 ◽  
Vol 182 (5) ◽  
pp. 439-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Burns ◽  
D. Job ◽  
M. E. Bastin ◽  
H. Whalley ◽  
T. Macgillivray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Arcuate Fasciculus ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
White Matter Tracts

BackgroundThere is growing evidence that schizophrenia is a disorder of cortical connectivity Specifically, frontotemporal and frontoparietal connections are thought to be functionally impaired. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT–MRI) is a technique that has the potential to demonstrate structural disconnectivity in schizophrenia.AimsTo investigate the structural integrity of frontotemporal and frontoparietal white matter tracts in schizophrenia.MethodThirty patients with DSM–IV schizophrenia and thirty matched control subjects underwent DT–MRI and structural MRI. Fractional anisotropy – an index of the integrity of white matter tracts – was determined in the uncinate fasciculus, the anterior cingulum and the arcuate fasciculus and analysed using voxel-based morphometry.ResultsThere was reduced fractional anisotropy in the left uncinate fasciculus and left arcuate fasciculus in patients with schizophrenia compared with controls.ConclusionsThe findings of reduced white matter tract integrity in the left uncinate fasciculus and left arcuate fasciculus suggest that there is frontotemporal and frontoparietal structural disconnectivity in schizophrenia.

Interobserver Agreement of White Matter Tract Involvement in Gliomas with Diffusion Tensor Tractography

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (03) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel Razek ◽  
Lamiaa El-Serougy ◽  
Amani Ezzat ◽  
Hany Eldawoody ◽  
Ahmad El-Morsy
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Interobserver Agreement ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Tractography ◽  
High Grade ◽  
White Matter Tract ◽  
Optic Radiation ◽  
Tract Involvement ◽  
High Grade Gliomas

Abstract Aim To assess with diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) the interobserver agreement of white matter tract involvement in patients with gliomas. Patient and Methods A prospective study was conducted on 35 patients (21 male, 14 female; age: 2–71 years) with gliomas that underwent DTT. Two independent readers assessed the patterns of involvement of the corticospinal tract, corpus callosum, optic radiation, and fasciculi as normal, edematous, displaced, infiltrated, or disrupted. Results Overall interobserver agreement of involvement of the white matter tracts was excellent (κ = 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91–0.95; p = 0.001). Interobserver agreement was excellent for involvement of corticospinal tracts (κ = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.57–1.00; p = 0.001), corpus callosum (κ = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.75–1.00; p = 0.001), optic radiation (κ = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.53–0.98; p = 0.001), and fasciculi (κ = 0.912; 95% CI, 0.81–0.99; p = 0.001. The interobserver agreement was excellent for tract edema (κ = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.57–1.00; p = 0.001), tract displacement (κ = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.75–1.00; p = 0.001), tract disruption (κ = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.57–1.00; p = 0.001), and good for tract infiltration (κ = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.53–0.98; p = 0.001). The interobserver agreement was excellent for white matter tract involvement in patients with low-grade gliomas (κ = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.57–1.00; p = 0.001) and high-grade gliomas (κ = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.75–1.00; p = 0.001). Conclusion DTT is a reliable and reproducible method for assessment of white matter tract involvement in patients with low- and high-grade gliomas.

Structural alterations in white-matter tracts connecting (para-)limbic and prefrontal brain regions in borderline personality disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (15) ◽  
pp. 3171-3180 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lischke ◽  
M. Domin ◽  
H. J. Freyberger ◽  
H. J. Grabe ◽  
R. Mentel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Structural Alterations

BackgroundA dysfunctional network of prefrontal and (para-)limbic brain region has been suggested to underlie emotional dysregulation in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Abnormal activity in this network may be due to structural alterations in white-matter tracts connecting prefrontal and (para-)limbic brain regions. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the structural integrity of major white-matter tracts connecting these regions in BPD.MethodUsing diffusion tensor imaging, we investigated fractional anisotropy (FA), axonal anisotropy (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) in the uncinate fasciculus, the major white-matter tract connecting (para-)limbic and prefrontal brain regions, in 26 healthy controls (HC) and 26 BPD participants. To clarify the specificity of possible white-matter alterations among HC and BPD participants, FA, AD and RD were also investigated in the cingulum.ResultsWe found distinct structural alterations in the uncinate fasciculus but not in the cingulum of BPD participants. Compared to HC participants, BPD participants showed lower FA and higher RD in the uncinate fasciculus. By contrast, AD did not differ in the uncinate fasciculus of HC and BPD participants.ConclusionsOur finding of abnormal FA and RD in the uncinate fasciculus indicates distinct white-matter alterations in BPD, presumably due to stress-induced myelin degeneration in the aftermath of stressful life events. Although these alterations may account for abnormal activity in brain regions implicated in emotion dysregulation, such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex, it remains to be determined whether these alterations are specific for BPD.

scholarly journals Microsurgical anatomy of the inferior limiting insular sulcus and the temporal stem

2015 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1263-1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Carvalhal Ribas ◽  
Kaan Yagmurlu ◽  
Hung Tzu Wen ◽  
Albert L. Rhoton
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Anterior Commissure ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Microsurgical Anatomy ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Fiber Tracts ◽  
Transsylvian Approach ◽  
Temporal Stem ◽  
Optic Radiations

OBJECT The purpose of this study was to describe the location of each white matter pathway in the area between the inferior limiting insular sulcus (ILS) and temporal horn that may be crossed in approaches through the temporal stem to the medial temporal lobe. METHODS The fiber tracts in 14 adult cadaveric cerebral hemispheres were examined using the Klingler technique. The fiber dissections were completed in a stepwise manner, identifying each white matter pathway in different planes and describing its position in relation to the anterior end of the ILS. RESULTS The short-association fibers from the extreme capsule, which continue toward the operculae, are the most superficial subcortical layer deep to the ILS. The external capsule fibers are found deeper at an intermediate layer and are formed by the uncinate fasciculus, inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, and claustrocortical fibers in a sequential anteroposterior disposition. The anterior commissure forms the next deeper layer, and the optic radiations in the sublenticular part of the internal capsule represent the deepest layer. The uncinate fasciculus is found deep to the anterior third of the ILS, whereas the inferior frontooccipital fasciculus and optic radiations are found superficial and deep, respectively, at the posterior two-thirds of this length. CONCLUSIONS The authors' findings suggest that in the transsylvian approach, a 6-mm incision beginning just posterior to the limen insula through the ILS will cross the uncinate fasciculus but not the inferior frontooccipital fasciculus or optic radiations, but that longer incisions carry a risk to language and visual functions.

Surgical Approaches to the Temporal Horn: An Anatomic Analysis of White Matter Tract Interruption

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo A. S. Kadri ◽  
Jean G. de Oliveira ◽  
Niklaus Krayenbühl ◽  
Uğur Türe ◽  
Evandro P. L. de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Anterior Commissure ◽  
Anterior Segment ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Fiber Bundles ◽  
Surgical Approaches ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Uncinate Fasciculus ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Temporal Horn

Abstract BACKGROUND: Surgical access to the temporal horn is necessary to treat tumors and vascular lesions, but is used mainly in patients with mediobasal temporal epilepsy. The surgical approaches to this cavity fall into 3 primary categories: lateral, inferior, and transsylvian. The current neurosurgical literature has underestimated the interruption of involved fiber bundles and the correlated clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVE: To delineate the interruption of fiber bundles during the different approaches to the temporal horn. METHODS: We simulated the lateral (trans-middle temporal gyrus), inferior (transparahippocampal gyrus), and transsylvian approaches in 20 previously frozen, formalin-fixed human brains (40 hemispheres). Fiber dissection was then done along the lateral and inferior aspects under the operating microscope. Each stage of dissection and its respective fiber tract interruption were defined. RESULTS: The lateral (trans-middle temporal gyrus) approach interrupted “U” fibers, the superior longitudinal fasciculus (inferior arm), occipitofrontal fasciculus (ventral segment), uncinate fasciculus (dorsolateral segment), anterior commissure (posterior segment), temporopontine, inferior thalamic peduncle (posterior fibers), posterior thalamic peduncle (anterior portion), and tapetum fibers. The inferior (transparahippocampal gyrus) approach interrupted “U” fibers, the cingulum (inferior arm), and fimbria, and transected the hippocampal formation. The transsylvian approach interrupted “U” fibers (anterobasal region of the extreme capsule), the uncinate fasciculus (ventromedial segment), and anterior commissure (anterior segment), and transected the anterosuperior aspect of the amygdala. CONCLUSION: White matter dissection improves our knowledge of the complex anatomy surrounding the temporal horn. Identifying the fiber bundles at risk during each surgical approach adds important information for choosing the appropriate surgical strategy.

Preoperative and Intraoperative Diffusion Tensor Imaging-based Fiber Tracking in Glioma Surgery

Neurosurgery ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Nimsky ◽  
Oliver Ganslandt ◽  
Peter Hastreiter ◽  
Ruopeng Wang ◽  
Thomas Benner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Fiber Tracking ◽  
Glioma Surgery ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intraoperative displacement of major white matter tracts during glioma resection by comparing preoperative and intraoperative diffusion tensor imaging-based fiber tracking. METHODS: In 37 patients undergoing glioma surgery, preoperative and intraoperative diffusion tensor imaging was performed with a 1.5-T magnetic resonance scanner applying an echo-planar imaging sequence with six diffusion directions. For three-dimensional tractography, we implemented a knowledge-based multiple-region-of-interest approach applying user-defined seed regions in the color-coded maps of fractional anisotropy. Tracking was initiated in both the retrograde and orthograde directions according to the direction of the principal eigenvector in each voxel of the region of interest. The tractography results were also assigned color, applying the convention used in color-coded fractional anisotropy maps. RESULTS: Preoperative and intraoperative fiber tracking was technically feasible in all patients. Fiber tract visualization gave a quick and intuitive overview of the displaced course of white matter tracts in three-dimensional space. Comparison of preoperative and intraoperative tractography depicted a marked shifting of major white matter tracts during glioma removal. Maximum white matter tract shifting ranged from −8 to +15 mm (+2.7 ± 6.0 mm; mean ± standard deviation); in 29.7%, an inward and in 62.2%, an outward shifting was detected. CONCLUSION: Comparing preoperative and intraoperative fiber tracking visualizes a marked shifting and deformation of major white matter tracts because of tumor removal. This shifting emphasizes the need for an intraoperative update of navigation systems during resection of deep-seated tumor portions near eloquent brain areas. Fiber tracking is a method not only for preoperative neurosurgical visualization but also for further intraoperative planning.

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